Page 5 of Falling for My Billionaire Fake Date

I remembered Ryan inviting us to the opening of a company about a month back. He told us then that his friend from college works in the company.

But I never really paid any mind to it. I was working on renovating my café, and I didn’t have the time to attend. Brittney had a family gathering and couldn’t attend either.

“Hi, I’m Aurora. It’s a pleasure meeting you. Welcome to Birchwood, and I hope you’re enjoying your stay in our town. I own this bar, and everything will be on the house tonight. Consider this a welcome party, Jake.”

I extend my hand to him for a shake while smiling. Jake extends his hand too, but instead of the handshake I was expecting, he grabs his cup and takes a leisurely sip of his drinkinstead.

What? Huh? Did I say something wrong?I cast a questioning look at Ryan, but he seems as confused as I am at his friend’s attitude.

“Glad you can finally make it to the table. Let me ask you something. A construction company is a better contribution to society. Isn’t it, Aurora?”

Again, what? Is he drunk already?

I lower my hand with an embarrassed smile. I can see Ryan and Britt sporting confused and surprised looks respectively.

“I’m not sure I understand what you mean by that, Jake. Better than what? Could you elaborate?”

“Nothing, really. I hear you own three shops. And I asked you if you think a construction company is a better contribution to the town, rather than a bar, a café, and a pastry shop,” Jake says, with a mocking smirk on his face.

He looks nothing like the guy I saw minutes earlier. What is he trying to say about my work? I’m feeling my face flush in anger already. I am about to give him a piece of my mind when he opens his mouth again.

“I’m just trying to understand the motive or the reasoning behind opening three different shops in such a small town when you could contribute more meaningful services. Why are you opening all these shops? Should we be expecting a grooming shop for pets from you next?

“Got commitment issues or something? I mean that’s a bit immature, jumping from one business to another, don’t you think? What’s that downstairs? You call thata bar? It’s more like a petting zoo to me.

“You can do better than this. Guess you’re not as smart as your friends here have made you out to be, Princess.”

I am stupefied, and also beyond angry. Who does he think he is? Who is he to come here and start judging me? Make a jest of my hard work? My shops? It’s not like he owns the construction company where he works.

Who, then, is he to talk to me as he deems fit? It takes all my willpower and the respect I have for Ryan to hold back from slapping him silly.

“Excuse you, Mr. Hotshot City Boy. Who the heck are you to judge me? Make fun of my work? I might not own or work for a construction company, but owning three shops doesn’t make me lazy or immature! What? I’m not allowed to do what makes me happy and provides needed services to the town? Or own three places I can handle?

“I do not care about your opinion! Or what you think! So, you can take your assessments, and shove them down your prideful throat. And I promise you, the next time you call me Princess, you’ll be pronouncing your next word through a straw!”

Continuing, I add: “Calling me immature and talking about commitment issues doesn’t hide the fact that you’re an obvious scaredy cat, running down here to Birchwood to hide from something or someone under the guise of working in a construction company!”

At the last statement, his eyes turn impossibly colder and he glares at me. I give him a satisfactory smile, knowing I hit a nerve. Well, he did too, calling me out on the commitment issues. But I would never give him the satisfaction of knowing that.

Turning to my friends, who look totally shocked at how things have escalated so quickly, I give them a reassuring smile. “You guys enjoy the rest of the night. I’ll text you later. Have fun!”

Britt tries to follow me, but I shake my head at her. I really need to be alone at the moment. Smiling reassuringly at Ryan, who has a guilty and bewildered expression on his face, I swipe my clutch off the table and walk out of there, my head held high.

What a jerk!

Chapter six

Jake – Don’t Judge Me

I’ve always prided myself on being a levelheaded person. I have never had troubles keeping my emotions in check, nor being calm and rational in every situation I’ve ever found myself. Why is this woman able to bring out the very worst in me in the first few minutes of our meeting?

Well, as coolheaded as I can be with anything or anyone, I don’t think I have the patience for women who think they’re better than everyone else just because they own three shops. Not only was she sidetracked before she could grace us with her presence, she sure took her sweet time while at it.

Ryan never gave me any details, but sort of hinted at Aurora having had it rough. I may have judged her, but the same can be said for her about me, as well.

She took a glance at me, and I could definitely read every judgmental look and thought flashing across her face. That was before she wiped her face into a blank canvas, muttered a lameexcuse, and strutted to her office. What had passed through her pretty little head? She doesn’t even know me. And I have no desire to give her that pleasure.

This wasn’t the woman Ryan had eagerly talked with me about. He had painted her to be some sort of hardworking fairy, and I guessed I’d unintentionally placed her on a pedestal without even realizing it. The hardworking part, he was very correct about, but the fairy part, I’m not so sure. Fairies definitely do not judge people by their looks.

---